Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra (Keski-Pohjanmaan Kamariorkesteri) is one of the world's leading chamber orchestras. It is known for its advancement of Nordic music and for its unique history as a children's orchestra that, literally, grew up to be a major international ensemble.
In 1971 Juha Kangas, then a violist in the Helsinki Philharmonic, came to the Ostrobothnian Music College (now Ostrobothnian Conservatory) in Kokkola, Finland, as a violin and viola professor. Kangas, a student of the great violin and chamber music teacher Onni Suhonen, was from the region, hailing from the town of Kaustinen, 50 kilometers away, and was brought up in the area's rich traditional of itinerant folk musicians. (Ostrobothnia refers to the northern part of Finland's eastern coast, bordering on the Gulf of Bothnia that divides Finland from Sweden.)
Initially, the orchestra was a group of children ten and eleven years old. Kangas worked with the same group of young players as they advanced in experience and skill. By 1976, it appeared for the first time on a national stage at the annual youth arts fair in Lahti under the name "Chamber Orchestra of the Central Ostrobothnian Music College."
The orchestra formed a partnership with composer Pehr Henrik Nordgren, a resident of Kaustinen, who gave the OCO the premieres of most of his music for string orchestra.
In addition to playing new music, Kangas and the OCO became known for ferreting out worthy Finnish music that had been overlooked. Examples are works by Uuno Klami, Ahti Sonninen and Erkki Salmenhaara. In addition, the orchestra has brought into prominence Time of Taromir by Karin Rehnqvist and the Concerto for Strings by Ingvar Lidholm.
There is a tendency noted by Finnish arts commentators for the more populous and cosmopolitan south coastal region extending from Helsinki to dismiss the artistic efforts of the country's northern areas, and so the growth of the OCO was often overlooked. As a result the orchestra's second "composer in residence" was not a Finn at all, but the Swedish composer Anders Eliasson. In the 1980s, the orchestra became semi-professional and since 1989 has been a fully professional organization. In 1993, Kangas and the orchestra won the Nordic Music Prize and in 1995 were recognized by the Finnish Composers' Copyright Society (Teosto) with its "Creation prize" for "professional creative work that has significantly promoted Finnish music." In 1998, it received the Madetoja Award of the Finnish Composers' Society.
Throughout most of the existence of the orchestra Kangas has conducted almost all the concerts, with only rare appearances by guest conductors. In 2009 he cut his conducting duties to half. Guest conductors included Sakari Oramo, Tuomas Hannikainen, and Johannes Gustavsson. The average age of the orchestra is still young; just about 30. None of the original players from 1971 are still members, but some have been with the group since 1973. Later recordings include Sunleif Rasmussen: String against String (2007) for Dacapo and Nordgren's Symphony for Strings; Hate-Love (2009) for Ondine.
© TiVo
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Reflections of a River Valley
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 5 janv. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Favourite English Strings
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 10 juin 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RAUTAVAARA, E.: Music for String Orchestra (Complete), Vol. 1
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Ondine le 1 janv. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dedications
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 11 août 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tapiola Originals - Choral Works Commissioned by the Tapiola Chamber Choir
Johanna Ojala, Herman Wallen, Martti Nissinen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Tapiola Chamber Choir
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lighthouse
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Fazer Records - Finlandia le 8 mars 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poema: Works for Cello & Strings
Marko Ylonen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 1 oct. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pelimannimuotokuvia (Portraits)
Reijo Tunkkari, Timo Kangas, Elar Kuiv, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nordgren: Equilibrium / Cronaca / Violin Concerto No. 3
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 28 févr. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Being Beauteous
Anu Komsi, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Uusinta Chamber Ensemble, Juha Kangas, Sakari Oramo
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez Alba le 1 juil. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Masquerade
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 7 juin 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Suite On Finnish Themes / Symphony for Strings / Chamber Symphony
Anu Komsi, Tom Nyman, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Musique vocale (profane et sacrée) - Paru chez BIS le 1 janv. 2001
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heinio, M.: Piano Concerto No. 6, "Hermes" / In G
Juhani Lagerspetz, Tuija Rantamäki, Camilla Nylund, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Ondine le 1 janv. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nordgren: Rock Score / Cello Concerto No. 1 / Transe-Choral
Marko Ylonen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 avr. 2005
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Korpijaakko: Nebula – Works for Guitar
Petri Kumela, Tiina Penttinen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Alba le 24 oct. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leikkikalu Satakieli
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Sinikka Sokka, Lauri Pulakka
Classique - Paru chez Alba le 9 mars 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NORDGREN, P.H.: Symphony for Strings / Hate-Love / Transe-Choral (Ylonen, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Kangas)
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Marko Ylonen, Juha Kangas
Classique - Paru chez Ondine le 1 janv. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo